With the latest American detained the week before, dictator Kim Jong-un now holds four hostages (and counting). And the threats come as Team Trump is looking to deal with Pyongyang’s fast-growing nuclear threat.

Kim’s father and grandfather also took US hostages — and were richly rewarded with much-needed cash and food aid. They also got world leaders like ex-President Bill Clinton to visit and lend legitimacy to their criminal enterprise.

What will Kim charge for ransom now? Perhaps he’ll try to take advantage of Trump’s ill-advised remark about being willing to meet with him; maybe he thinks he can get Washington to drop its efforts to have China rein him in.

Given his willingness to threaten South Korea, Japan and even America itself, anything’s possible.

Kim may also be emboldened by the vast ransom President Barack Obama paid Iran to free its last round of hostages. But the futility of such bribes is proven by the fact that Tehran has already collected more US captives.

Worse, with North Korea now testing missiles that could reach the US mainland, Trump can’t treat this as just another routine shakedown.

Paying more ransom isn’t the answer; hanging tough is America’s only option.